Process and apparatus for cutting garment labels and the like



Feb. 14, 1939. w A. BURKEY 2,146,934

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR CUTTING GARMENT LABELS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 22, 1937 32 illi/11111111111142,

IIIIlII/IIIIIIIIIII" 5 I M William ABurkg i Y 5 MENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR CUTTING GARMENT LABELS AND THE LIKE 8 Claims.

My invention relates to a simplified and improved process and apparatus for forming garment labels and the like from a usual tape or strip of material commonly bearing a printed or woven series of labels arranged end-to-end and intended for individual use by cutting them apart and in-folding their ends to avoid unsightly raw edges liable to ravel.

Among the main objects of my present improvements are, to provide for severing, without change or adjustments, varying label lengths from tape or strip material of varying widths; for increasing production capacity by providing for continuous folding, creasing, and cutting operations, limited only by the skill of the operator in cross-wise feeding the label-parting portions of the tape or strip material; adjustment for variation of thickness in the label-bearing material; and provision for changing the length of the in-folded label ends.

The apparatus for carrying out my improved process is closely related thereto, and comprises folding, creasing and cutting means arranged for acontinuous sequence of operations on each cross-wise-fed parting-portion of the tape or strip of label-bearing material, with provision for adjustment according to the thickness of different label-bearing material, and for varying thelength in-folded at the cut-off end of each label.

More specifically, the apparatus consists of a compact machine in which one part of the folding means, in the form of a grooved block or spaced blade edges, is supported on a fixed base,

with its cooperating folding means, in the form of a single blade edge depending between said spaced edges, is adjustably suspended from above with a projecting end extended between bendcreasing means, in the form of adjustably-spaced driven rollers, the projecting blade-end beyond said creasing rollers'being forked to receive the strip-cutting means, in the form of a rotated disc; the machine having proper bearings and driving means for said rollers and disc.

-My improved process and the apparatus for carrying out the same and its manner of operating, will be more if lly described hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawing, and the novel features thereof particularly set forth in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing which shows a preferred embodiment of my invention,-

Fig. 1 is a perspective elevation.

Fig. 2 is a partial longitudinal sectional view.

Fig. 3 is a corresponding sectional plan view,

but showing a modified adjustable mounting for the spaced folding-blade members. 7

Fig. l is a modified cross-sectional elevation showing provision for varying the spacing of the bend-pressing creasing rollers.

Fig. 5 indicates the label strip with a cut-off end label.

In the drawing l indicates the base or bedplate of the machine formed with an overhanging arm 2 and a central opening 3, with bearings d, 4, at the side edges of the latter for a transverse shaft 5 carrying a pulley 6 for a driving belt I extending through said opening 3 to a suitable driving pulley, not shown. The bed-plate, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is formed with ribs 8, 8, spaced to fixedly carry a guide-block 9 divided by a central longitudinal groove l0, into two spaced folding blade members II, II. Fig. 3 shows an alternative way of forming these blade members as two angular strips, Ila, Ila, the flanges l2, l2 of which are slotted for screw bolts l3, l3 engaging thebasel and providing for adjustably spacing said blades.

A cooperating folding blade l5, suspended between the blade members H, II, is shown as mounted in the downwardly directed end ll of arm 2, and secured therein in vertically adjustable'positions by means of bolts or screws I8, l8, engaging through blade slots l9, IS.

The arm 2 is shown with a rear bearing 20,30 and opposed pairs of bearings 2|, 2| and 22, 22 on opposite sides of the end [1. A shaft 23, extending upwardly through base I from a driven source, not shown, is mounted in bearing 20 and provided with a pulley 23' for a belt 24 extending, to a pulley 25 on a shaft 26 mounted in bearings 2| and 22 on one side of arm-end H.

A like shaft 21 is mounted in the opposite side bearings 2i, 22, and meshing ,top gears 28 and Hon the respective shafts 26 and 21 provide for their joint rotation. Knurled rollers-3B and 3| on the lower ends of the respective shafts 2B and 21 form bend-creasing rollers arranged in cooperative relation .on opposite sides of the rearwardly projectingend of plate l5. These creasing rollers may have a fixed spread asshown in Figs. 1 .to 3, but in Fig. 4 I have shown one means for adjusting their spread, in which the shafts 26a and 21a are flexible, and the bearings 22a and 22a are slidably mounted in extensions 22b, 22b on the dependingarm end Ila, locknut screws 32, 32 forming means for'varying andlocking the bearings 22a and22a in adjusted spaced relation.

The rearwardly projecting end of plate I5 is shown as recessed or bifurcated at 35 to receive a cutting device in the form of a cutter disc 36 mounted on driven shaft 5, such bifurcated end positioning the cutter disc close to the creasing rollers 30 and 3| and covering the fabric strip except at the line of cutting along the base bend of the loop formed therein.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the folding means, blades II, II and. I5, creasing means, rollers 30 and 3| co-operating with blade [5, and cutting means, disc 36 projecting into the bifurcated end 35 of blade I5,

are arranged in an alinement for a continuoussequence of operations on the tape or strip which is fed crosswise thereto. The strip of labelbearing material is laid across the blades H, II, with the line of severance between the labels, positioned between said blades, and then said strip is fed crosswise, with blade I5 cooperating with blades II, II to form a loop in the strip, as clearly seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the advancing edge of said strip coming into the pressing action of rollers 30 and 3! which act against the blade l5 to crease the base bends 4|, 4| of said loop, and further advance of the strip brings the intermediate bend 43 of said loop into contact With the cutting disc 33. The preferred practice is to sever the labels in succession beginning at an end of the strip and progressing toward the other end, and at each label severing it will be seen an infold 45, 45, Fig. 5, is formed on the new end of the strip and on the severed end of the cutofi label 46, such in-folds 45, 45 having their bends set by action of the creasing rollers 30 and 3|.

My process of continuous operations in sequence on the cross-wise-fold label strip greatly increase production, as its actions are not limited by a cycle of operations, or required operative starting for each cutting, but may be at any rate of speed the skill of the operator develops in cross-wise-feeding the parting portions of the strip of label bearing material. The apparatus described carries out my continuous sequence of operations; is ready to act without change or adjustment on labels of varying length and varying width; the adjustment of blade l5 provides for varying the. label-end in-fold as desired; and the adjustment of the speed of rollers 30 and 3!, provided for a regulated pressure of their bend-creasing action and for adjustment according to the thickness of the label-bearing material; and the several labels are severed at a definitely located line of parting with equally infolded creased ends ready for their use as garment labels or the like.

It is believed that-the nature of my invention and the means for carrying it out will be clearly understood from the foregoing description, and it is intended to include changes and modifications of the particular embodiment disclosed that properly come within the spirit of my invention as particularly defined in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine for severing from a strip of label-bearing material successive end labels having in-folded ends, means for sequentially acting on each cross-fed label-connecting portion,

comprising cooperating means for forming a.

loop-fold across said strip, roller pressure means for creasing the base-bends of said loop fold, and rotary means for severing said strip at the intermediate-bend of said loop fold.

2. In a machine for severing from a strip of label-bearing material successive end labels having in-folded ends, continuously operating means sequentially acting on each cross-fed label-connecting portion, comprising spaced folding-blades and a co-operating folding blade for forming a loop-fold across said strip, rotated pressure-rollers for creasing the base-bends of said loop folds and a rotated cutter-disc for severing said strip at the intermediate-bend of said loop'fold.

3. In a machine for severing from a strip of label-bearing material successive end labels having in-folded ends, continuously operating means sequentially acting on each cross-fed label-connecting portion, comprising spaced folding-blades and a co-operating folding blade for forming a loop-fold across said strip, rotated rollers having adjustable pressure-regulating means for creasing the base-bends of said loop-fold and a rotated cutter-disc for severing said strip at the intermediate-bend of said loop-fold.

4. In a machine for severing from a strip of label-bearing material successive end labels having in-folded ends, continuously operating means sequentially acting on each cross-fed label-connecting portion, comprising spaced folding blades and an adjustable cooperating folding blade for forming a loop fold of a determined length across said strip, rotated rollers having adjustable pressure-regulating means for creasing the base bends of said loop-fold, and a rotated cutter disc. for severing said strip at the intermediatebend of said loop-fold.

5. A machine for severing from a strip of labelbearing material successive end labels having infolded ends, comprising a bed plate having an over-hanging arm, spaced loop-folding blades and a rotatably driven cutter disc mounted on said bed plate in longitudinally spaced alinement, a co-operating loop-folding blade mounted on said over-hanging arm to depend between said spaced loop-folding blades and having its rearwardly extended end bifurcated to extend on opposite sides of said cutter disc, and cooperatively driven shafts mounted on said overhanging arm and having pressing rollers spaced on oposite sides of said arm-held loop-folding blade intermediate the base-supported spaced loop-folding blades and the rotated cutter disc. 6. In the mechanism set forth in claim 5,

means for adjustably positioning the arm-carr ried loop-folding blade relative to the bed-supported spaced loop-folding blades.

7. In the mechanism set forth in claim 5,

means for adjustably regulating the spread of the pressure rollers relative to arm-carried loopfolding cutter blade intermediately positioned be- I tween them;

8. The improved method of severing labels with infolded ends from a continuous strip of label material, which consists in successively cross-feeding said strips at each label-connecting portion, and during each of said cross-feedings sequentially forming a loop fold across said strip, creasing the bends of said loop with a rolling pressure, and cutting said strip crosswise between said bends, whereby a label is severed from said strip having an infolded creased end, and a creased infold is formed on the free end of said label strip.

WILLIAM A. BURKEY.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,12 6,95L February 1L 19 9,

wILLIAM A....ECRKEY.

It is hereby certified that the residence of the patentee in the above numbered patent was erroneously described and specified as "Reading, Penn- I sylvania whereas said residence should have been described and specified as Hamburg, Pennsylvania, as shown by the records of this office; and that the said Letters Patent sfiould'be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record oil the case in the Patent Officea Signed and sealed this 28th day o arch, A. D, 1959.

Henry Van Arsdale (Seal Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

